As some of you many know, on Tuesday, January 19, DMS President/CEO Lori Abittan will be participating in an upcoming Canadian Journalism Foundation panel, “The Rise of “Ethnic Media”.

One of the other interesting aspects of this panel, is its moderator:  the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) of Ontario’s Public Service (OPS):  Noëlle Richardson.  Some of you may remember Ms. Richardson from her ‘previous life’ as journalist-broadcaster with Toronto’s CFMT-TV (now, OMNI 1), and on-air anchor with CBC and CTV Newsnet.

Ms. Richardson is the province’s first Chief Diversity Officer; and although she has held the position for a little over a year, it’s still a relatively new and one that I thought this blog’s readers would find interesting.  Even with crazy, hectic schedules, I was able to exchange a few emails with an incredibly busy woman who is clearly passionate and dedicated.

For those that are not familiar with Ontario’s Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), this is a new (December 2008) provincial appointment by Ontario’s Secretary of the Cabinet.  Can you give us some background on how and why the position came to be?

Since December 2007, the Ontario Public Service (OPS) has been working to develop an aggressive multi-year diversity strategy focused on leadership, recruitment and outreach, developing and retaining diverse talent, and education and awareness, in the interest of creating an inclusive workplace. In order to be responsive to the needs of an evolving public the OPS must become a culturally competent organization that is sensitive to, and understanding of the needs of that public. In order to do so it must have access to the needs of the public by reflecting that public within the OPS at all levels of the organization.

While the position of the Chief Diversity Officer helps to create a focus on building a culture that is inclusive and welcoming of difference, it is not the role of the CDO alone to change the organizational culture, but rather the responsibility of everyone in the OPS.

The OPS Diversity Office is a centre of excellence and expertise acting as a lighthouse, guiding the organization towards its goals of inclusion and accessibility. The Diversity Office is helping to transform the OPS into a global leader that is inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible at all levels.

Can you elaborate on your role as Ontario’s CDO and identify the goals and priorities of the Office?

My role as the Chief Diversity Officer is to lead the diversity and inclusion journey right across the OPS from one end of the province to the other. The vision of the OPS is to be a diverse and inclusive organization that delivers excellent public service and supports all employees to achieve their full potential. We have four goals outlined in the three year strategic plan:  Embed diversity in all OPS policies and programs; build a workplace free from harassment and discrimination; reflect the public we serve at all levels of the OPS workforce; and respond to the needs of a diverse population

We have four key strategic focus areas to achieve our goals:

• Informed, Committed and Competent Leadership;
• Behavioural and Cultural Transformation;
• Mainstreaming and Integrating Diversity; and
• Measurement, Evaluation and Reporting

The OPS Diversity Office works very closely with all ministries across the Ontario Public Service. As part of our three year strategic plan, the office is strategically engaging our senior leadership to ensure that Deputy Ministers include ministry specific diversity outcomes in their performance contracts in order to influence organizational change, drive results and embed accountability throughout the organization.

Our work cuts across all the work of the OPS, in every ministry and region of the province.  In fact, our third strategy is all about embedding diversity and inclusion into the business of the public service, be it as an employer, a service provider or a policy maker. Our office influences change and builds momentum and in order to do so, we work in partnership with a number of other ministries, including Aboriginal Affairs, Community & Social Services (Accessibility Directorate of Ontario), the Ministry of Labour and more.

What would you say to those who view “cultural diversity” as a concept that encourages newcomers to remain separate and thereby instead promote the more-American concept of “melting pot”?

Accepting and celebrating our diversity does not mean that newcomers cannot also celebrate and respect the culture and values of their new country. Our diversity is what makes Canada what it is – we were built upon the strengths of many cultures.

The Ontario Public Service is changing to reflect our province and our clients. We now have seven employee networks that are voluntary, employee driven associations, organized around shared interests, issues and a common bond or background.  Membership in the networks is open to the entire OPS.

Unlike the melting pot, these networks focus on building a strong, inclusive organization with attention to improving the work environment and removing barriers to full participation.  We recognize that in the process of coming together around common interests, which some may view as remaining separate, our employees in fact strengthen their skills and confidence that they then bring back to the larger table.

How do you believe your experience lends itself to Ontario’s Chief Diversity Officer?

I had the good fortune of being born into the family that I have. I grew up feeling not only loved but liked, which is important in allowing me the confidence to feel that I belong.  This has in some way positioned me to see issues of exclusion within the realm of human frailty.  It is not just the other person who does it, but all of us. Historical context plays a role in how we see the world. From that perspective, when I grew up in Guyana, issues of race were not a problem or if they were I didn’t notice.

In your early teens, you moved to Canada from Guyana.  Can you speak a little about that experience and how you came to choose Ontario … Canada? Any particular challenges you faced/overcame?

I didn’t choose Ontario, my parents did. But having said that, my dad always voiced what he felt was the magnanimous Canadian culture and way of being.  When I came to Canada, I finally understood the saying “all black people look alike” or “all Chinese people look alike”, because when I first arrived in Canada, all white people looked the same. When I was in high school, and would say “hi” to a fellow classmate, I would turn the corner and think, didn’t I just say hi to you??  It was a challenge identifying people because I wasn’t use to seeing those features. This experience helped me in my understanding today that it is not about racism, but just about what you are not use to.

How have you seen Ontario and Canada evolve in terms of demographics, ‘the newcomer experience’, challenges for newcomers, etc.?  And what is the role of the CDO in helping Ontario’s newcomers deal with such challenges?

When I arrived in 1969, I didn’t see too many people that looked like me. Today you just have to sit at the lights at Yonge and Bloor and observe all manner of humanity crossing in front of your car.  That humanity represents Ontario and what this country is all about today.

I have no doubt that immigrants today still face many of the challenges that my parents faced in 1969 and that is the need for Canadian experience when looking for a job.

As the OPS Diversity Office works to make the province more inclusive we are playing a leadership role that other employers can follow.  In the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration we have an internship program for foreign trained professionals.

The Canadian media landscape has seen some dramatic change especially in the last couple of years.  What changes have you seen and, in particular, are there any challenges you can identify connected to the changing demographics of our province … our country?

People are more able to see themselves reflected on television.  We are hearing more accents than we have heard before.  We are hearing more voices sharing their opinions and points of view.  We seem to have expanded our rolodex.  That having been said we still have a long way to go.  If we look behind the scenes I am not sure that much has changed.

I feel that the lines are becoming more blurred between the so called mainstream media and the ethnic media.  In fact I would suspect that we are moving to a time when the ethnic media will set the agenda for the day’s news.

I understand that you are currently a member on the Board of Directors for Literature for Life — could you tell us a little more about that?

Literature for Life is an organization committed to engaging at risk young families in building a culture of literacy and learning.  We do so by operating book groups for teen mothers.  The idea is that by getting teen moms invested in the positive use of language this will in turn build a culture of literacy and the desire to learn within their families, thus giving their children a better chance at succeeding within the school system.

Through our programs, young moms see language as a tool to express themselves. They become empowered through reading, writing and discussions – finding new ways to solve problems and learning to be proactive in their lives instead of reactive. They begin to understand that their voices and stories have value and meaning which leads to increased self-esteem, a renewed interest in literacy and learning as well as an investment in their community. They pass these values onto their children who are then better prepared to attend and do well in school, less likely to become involved in gang activity or to be incarcerated.  This impacts issues of poverty and violence as well.

Finally, any sneak peaks on the upcoming Canadian Journalism Foundation panel that you will be moderating? Any particular threads of discussion you hope will ‘bubble up’?

I would like to know whether there is a broader interest in reaching the larger population than their own specific communities; how much focus is there on building bridges and creating understanding among all groups; how are your audiences responding to the trends toward the “New Media”.

For more information on the Ontario Public Service, you can visit their website by clicking here.

For more information on the Canadian Journalism Foundation, you can visit their website by clicking here.

Other panelists on the CJF’s “The Rise of Ethnic Media” panel  are Jagdish Grewal, editor and publisher of Punjabi Post; Shirley Chan, editor of Ming Pao; and Madeline Ziniak, Canadian Ethnic Media Association executive chair and OMNI Television national vice president. More information on tomorrow’s panel can be found here.